City Council

MINUTES COUNCIL CONFERENCE APRIL 17, 2007 CITY HALL 5:00 PM Council President Paul M. Pintella, announced that adequate public notice has been provided to the public specifying the time and place for this meeting in accordance with Chapter 231, P.L. 1975, approved on October 21, 1975 and effective January 19, 1976. The FY 2007 annual notice was mailed to the Times and the Trentonian Newspapers, posted on the first floor bulletin board in City Hall, and filed in the City Clerk’s Office on July 1, 2006 and amended on July 21, 2006 The agenda for the said meeting was mailed, posted and filed on April 13, 2007. A Conference of the City Council of the City of Trenton, New Jersey, was held on the above date at 5:18 p.m. in the Council Conference Room, City Hall. The meeting was called to order by Council President Paul M. Pintella, on roll call, the following Council Members were present: Messrs. Bethea & Coston, Messrs. Melone & Segura, Ms. Staton, Mr. Pintella – 6. The following were absent: Ms. Lartigue – 1. A portion of this meeting will be set aside for public comment. 5:00 p.m. Subject: Docket Review: Appearance: Renee Haynes, Chief of Staff Jane Feigenbaum, Business Administrator UPDATE ON FLOOD SITUATION Appearance: Richard Laird, Deputy Fire Chief Leonard Pucciatti, Director of Inspection and Construction Official Richard Laird – Around 2:15 pm today the Delaware River was at 18.06 feet and the Asumpink Creek was at 8.16 feet. This flood was the 2nd larges record height for the Asumpink Creek at 13.28 feet. The 6 or 7 houses on N. Clinton Avenue got water in their basements. The Delaware River was not a problem for us this time as it has been in the pass. We received from the period of Sunday, April 15 to Tuesday, April 17, 2007, over 200 calls for water in the basements. Of those call 140 dwelling had to be pump, we have to assist with 118, as of today 68 have been completed. We have 50 properties to pump out. The biggest problem with this storm was that it hit areas all over the City. The problems were mostly in the Northern and Western area of the City. The worst areas were Hart, Highland, Boudinot and Lee Avenue, but we have Montgomery, Rutherford, Laurel, Styuvesant, Page, Cherry, Cornwall, Kelsey, St. Joseph, Morningside and the list just continues. We had water in some neighborhoods we never had before. Leonard Pucciatti – We had all of the gas and electric service shut off but in side the homes. What we are doing now is visiting all 140 properties tonight and doing a survey to determine what damage was done. Our Electrical Inspectors are working with 4 crews from Public Service. Since the electric was turned off at the panels we can test the service and make sure it is working and APRIL 17, 2007 that the water did not cause any damage. We have already turned the electricity on 25 properties back on. The saturation of the ground is the main cause for basements getting water. It is coming in through the floors. There will be some people that are going to need help fixing the heater. City Council members congratulated Mr. Laird and Mr. Pucciatti for the way the situation had been handled and a job well done. They also questioned them about the situation and problems that might have come up including having enough coverage if a fire had occurred. Council asked about the type of assistance that the City would be providing the properties owners to help with the repairs needed. They also asked about the length of time they will be given to make repairs. Council wanted to know if there were any problems with the water system. City Council thanked every one involved with the emergency situation for a job well done. EXECUTIVE SESSION Motion was made by Council President Pintella seconded by Councilwoman Staton to go into executive session pending Litigation. RESOLUTION AUTHORING EXECUTIVE SESSION OF THE CITY COUNCIL TO PERMIT DISCUSSION OF PENDING LITIGATION WHEREAS the City Council deems it necessary and essential to conduct a discussion concerning pending litigation, specifically the cases of: Equity One, Inc. v. City of Trenton, Docket No. MER-L-2710-05 and City of Trenton v. 91 Bellevue Avenue, et al., Docket No. F-16870-02; and City of Trenton v. Ewing Township, Docket No. 7772-2006. Tax Court; and Gloria Stewart, et at. v. Johnnie L. Andrews, Docket No. MER-L-1336-05; and Frederick W. Morse, et at. v. Robert Arnwine, Jr., Docket No. MER-L-3044- 04; and Charles E. Richardson, Jr. v. Gregory P. Fielding, Docket No. MER-L-2863- 04; WHEREAS the public disclosure of such discussion will be contrary to the interest of the City of Trenton and will not permit the fullest view of said matters; now therefore be it RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Trenton that a discussion be held on April 17, 2007 at or about 5:00 p.m., in the Council Conference Room at which session the public will be excluded pending the discussion of said matters only. The public shall be informed of the determination of the City Council with respect to the final disposition of said pending proceedings, which final disposition shall be memorialized appropriately and adopted at a public meeting as soon as practicable. Opened public session at 6:35 p.m. Council President Pintella – Announced that on Thursday, April 19, 2007 Public Meeting there would be a minutes of silence for the death of the students at Virginia Tech. APRIL 17, 2007 Subject: Docket Review: Appearance: Renee Haynes, Chief of Staff Jane Feigenbaum, Business Administrator ABC MATTERS: Council President Pintella asked Mr. Alacqua if there were any ABC matters pending. Joseph Alacqua, Special Counsel – Notified Council of a copy of an order he received to extended the license for Club XL pending their appeal. It is a pocket license now because they lost their lease. PUBLIC COMMENT: James Fouse, 13 Cavell Avenue – Commended the City Administration, Police and Fire for the great job they did with the flood. He notified City Council that he would not like to have their jobs. Mike Torres, 309 Walnut Avenue – Thanked, the Mayor’s Office staff for assisting in the removal of a tree that he had cut that was covering the Light in the alley behind his property. Patricia Stewart, 679 Lamberton Street – The reverse 911 call system is working very well, we really appreciate it. Dion Clark, 323 Walnut Avenue – What can the City do, about people hanging around begging for money at the Post Office Downtown. The City should try to do something about this before the new train station is finish we don’t need people hanging around there begging. When will Administration be ready the make a presentation on the Landlords issue. CIVIC MATTERS: Councilman Coston – I had a meeting over the weekend with the South Ward Residences regarding the parking problem there. They would like to look into renting some of the vacant lots for residence parking. Patricia Stewart, 679 Lamberton Street – Wanted to know how long did the City let a property go without paying taxes before foreclosing on it. Councilwoman Staton – Asked Public Works if they had the Scrap Metal Sale they were planning to have? Did the Little League have there opening this week? North Trenton opened as well is there any more talk about their Press Box. Council President Pintella – We received a letter dated April 5, 2007 from Mr. Wesley Sokotoski thanking us for expressing our condolences for the lost of his mother. Mr. Sokotoski is a member of the Mulberry Street Civic Association. APRIL 17, 2007 Meeting Adjourned: 7:35 p.m. Respectively submitted ___________________________ __________________________ PAUL M. PINTELLA PENELOPE S. EDWARDS-CARTER CITY COUNCIL PRESIDENT ACTING DEPUTY MUNICIPAL CLERK